Christmas Gift Suggestion: M-Audio Oxygen 8 v2 MIDI Controller

Find out more about this affordable controller. Plus a Top 5 selection of other 25-key MIDI controllers that you can find here at Dolphin.

Looking for a MIDI Controller?  Here’s a great little one…

The Oxygen 8 v2 is an updated version of the mobile MIDI controller that started the mobile studio revolution. You get a fully functional MIDI keyboard with great action, plus eight MIDI-assignable knobs to control any MIDI parameters you desire in your hardware or software.

It’s perfect for composing on the go or performing live bass lines and pads, firing samples, or triggering audio and/or visual effects. New features include full MIDI message support, plus 6 transport controls that can be reassigned to any MIDI parameter.

The Oxygen 8 v2 also offers 10 non-volatile memory locations and is compatible with our free Enigma software for computer-based storage, retrieval and management of an unlimited number of patches. For more details, view product page.

Not the right model for you? Check those other models out…

	E-MU Xboard 25 Pro USB/MIDI Controller Keyboard For a limited time only we are supplying an additional 1.5GB EMU Sample Library with this product!! E-MU Systems Xboard 25 Professional USB/MIDI Controller Keyboard for PC and Mac operating systems, featuring full-size velocity sensitive keyboards with aftertouch, 16 programmable real-time controllers, Xboard Control editing software, more…
	Novation ReMOTE SL Compact 25 The ReMOTE SL COMPACT MIDI controller is the first keyboard to provide an affordable route to automatic, instant and intelligent control of all major sequencers and all automatable plug-ins. The SL COMPACT’s giant 144-character screen displays up to eight assigned parameters at once, with the essential data laid out logically right before the user’s eyes. More…
	M-Audio Axiom 25 Don’t let the compact size of the Axiom 25 fool you. This advanced 25-key USB mobile MIDI controller features both semi-weighted action and assignable aftertouch, plus eight rubberized trigger pads that put drum programming and performance at your fingertips. Eight endless rotary encoder knobs let you get your hands on synth parameters, virtual mixer controls and more…
	M-Audio Keyrig 25 The M-Audio KeyRig 25 turns your Mac or PC into a mobile keyboard workstation. Featuring a compact 25-note USB MIDI keyboard and the award-winning Key Rig software for the PC, KeyRig 25 makes it easy to compose and perform computer-based music anywhere you want. More…
	Behringer U-Control UMA25S Keyboard + Audio interface Ultra-slim USB MIDI Controller Keyboard and USB Audio Interface The new U-Control UMA25S Keyboard controller from Behringer combines a powerful MIDI controller with on-board USB audio interface and complete software package to provide a personal production powerhouse. More…

To view more MIDI Controllers at Dolphin, just click here.

Customer Spotlight: Promote Your Talent!

Are you a performing musician, or music producer? Want to let the rest of the world know about your work, or promote your band? Get in touch with us and be in our “Customer Spotlight” feature!

Dolphin would like to hear from musicians, recording artists and producers who’ve bought gear from us. Let us know how the gear you’ve bought from us has helped you. Let us and other Dolphin customers know a little bit more about you and your work!

Just email media@dolphinmusic.co.uk  and tell a bit more about your music! Let us know what gear you bought from Dolphin, and how it helped you! You can send you a press-release, bio and website links so other people can hear your music.

Each week we’ll do a Customer Spotlight profile in our News section and the next one could be yours! The feature will also be included in our Weekly News Round-Up which is sent to over 30 thousand people each Friday.

Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to promote yourself! Get in touch with Dolphin now!

Read previous entries:

Customer Spotlight: John Burns and Purple Comedy
Customer Spotlight: Janey Summer, D.I.Y. Solo Artist

KURZWEIL PC3X: “nothing less than brilliant”

The new issue of Keyboard Player Magazine includes an extremely impressive review of the Kurzweil PC3X. “The PC3X possesses some of the finest keyboard sounds around bar none. For synths, acoustic pianos, electric pianos, tonewheel organs and most orchestral textures it is nothing less than brilliant. It is a real gigging machine”.

 

 

With a sleek new look on the outside, and an arsenal of Kurzweil’s latest cutting edge chip technology under its hood, the 88-note Kurzweil PC3X delivers 128 voices of incredible sound quality along with a host of powerful, easy to use features. The PC3X is Kurzweil’s ultimate performance controller keyboard, with an enormous collection of stunning sounds combined with comprehensive real-time controller functions.

 

 

“The primary attraction of any instrument of this ilk is how it sounds as it comes straight from the box. It is here that the PC3X plays its strongest card. Quite simply the sounds, and especially the keyboard sounds, are not only stunning but offer the user an extremely wide set of pre-set variations to a degree not seen before..It does all this with uncanny accuracy; these are sounds that will be echoing around touring venues, believe me”.

 

“There are many other acoustic pianos within its library and all are faithful impersonations of recognizable songs, eras or styles. Usually one finds that a couple or so of these type of voices smack of being gimmicky fillers but this is not so with the PCX pianos. Coupled with the weighted action, this section alone will see off pretty well most digital pianos in the same price bracket”.

 

To read the full review, pick up the November Issue of Keyboard Player (Issue 330). The Kurzweil PC3X is available now at Dolphin Music

more:

Kurzweil PC3X

MIA makes Dettol come clean

TV ad triggers keyboard fears.

Piano manufacturers and dealers were thrown into a state of alarm last week when a television advert for Dettol appeared to suggest owners should spray their keyboards with the antiseptic spray – potentially causing a rush of failures and expensive complaints, it was feared.

The advertisement depicted two children seated at a piano. When one of them sneezed, a concerned mother reached for her can of Dettol and sprayed the keys.

One of the first to hear alarm bells was Yamaha, which immediately contacted the MIA, says the Association’s Paul McManus.

“Obviously, nothing should be sprayed on a piano’s keyboard and the worry was that people seeing this could reach for a can to spray on their electric keyboards too – and that is an even more worrying prospect!”.
The MIA’s first port of call was the Advertising Standards Authority which, McManus says, reacted with impressive speed, as apparently did Dettoll’s owners, Reckitt Benckiser, when contacted directly.

The company explained that the idea its product might do harm simply hadn’t occurred to it and agreed not to screen the offending commercial again, pending tests to find out whether, in fact, Dettol did actually represent a hazard to piano owners.

“Obviously, the concern was that retailers and manufacturers might suddenly find themselves faced with a stream of costly failures – or worse – so it is good news that Reckitt Benckiser reacted so positively and so swiftly,” McManus said.

MI Pro understands that Yamaha is currently conducting product tests with one of its keyboard specialists to determine how safe, or otherwise, the product might be, if used in this way.

[originally from www.mi-pro.co.uk]

Yamaha TYROS 3 – Super Articulated Workstation!

Yamaha Tyros is a digital arranger workstation keyboard produced by Yamaha Corporation in 2005. It was produced and designed by Kazuhisa Ueki and Soichiro Tanaka, respectively. Currently the flagship digital arranger workstation of Yamaha since 2005.

Yamaha Tyros is loaded with new features such as MegaVoice, primarily used in MIDI recording, which use velocity switching to add realism to your songs, Super Articulation, that includes additional sound effects on voices, to add much realism to your performance, Live!, Sweet! and Cool! voices, that are painstakingly sampled using stereo and multilayered samples to fully capture the natural presence, expression and vibrato of the real instruments, and Internet Direct Connection, for users to fully optimize the features of Tyros through downloading your favorite music for playback on Tyros.

61-key digital workstation with authentic sounds, powerful, exciting styles.

Combines the most advanced tone generation technology, Super Articulation 2 with state-of-the-art digital electronics and features to give you stunning sound quality with maximum musical versatility.

* 749 Voices, 35 Drum/SFX Kits and 480 XG and 256 GM2 Voices including brand new Super Articulation 2 Technology
* 450 exceptionally high-quality Styles including the new MegaVoices
* Eight slider, one assignable slider and articulation switches
* Adoption of Two-Track Hard Disk Recorder and large-capacity Hard Disk Drive
* Convenient Multi Pad Sync function, Registration and OTS Setting

# Super Articulation 2

Mainly for wind instrument Voices, a special Yamaha technology called AEM has been used, which features detailed samples of special expressive techniques used on those specific instruments – to bend or slide into notes, to “join” different notes together, or to add expressive nuances at the end of a note, etc.

Yamaha Tyros3 DVD sample covering Super Articulation 2 voices control

TYROS 3 is one of the most feature packed workstations available, just look at these specs…..

# Two-track Hard Disk Recorder – The Hard Disk Recorder lets you record your performances to two audio tracks – Main and Sub. A Bounce recording feature lets you record even more tracks, allowing you to easily record multiple parts in layers.
# Massive 80GB HDD – Staggering amount of MIDI data, style data, wav files and the like can be stored on the keyboard’s internal hard disk.
# Convenient Multi Pad Sync function / Registrations and OTS Information – You can embellish your performance as you play with several preset phrases by using the Multi Pads. These can even be synchronized with Style/Song playback. The information displays for Registration Memory and One Touch Setting allow you to confirm the registered panel setups easily.
# Voice Expandability – Download additional Voices from the website and load them to the Tyros3 – and increase your selection of available voices.
# High-Speed Communication – The built-in LAN terminal lets you easily connect your instrument directly to the Internet. The USB terminals compatible with USB 2.0 High-Speed enable high-speed communication with USB storage devices and computers

Christmas Gifts: Keyboards, 5 of the Best

Christmas Gifts: Keyboard Round Up- 5 of the Best

This christmas if your looking for a home keyboard to ignite the musician in your household look no futher than Dolphin Music!

We have many to choose and this guide should define what these ideal gifts can do.

The Yamaha PSRE213 is the perfect beginner keyboard, with Portable Grand stereo piano and the Yamaha Education Suite. It also features “Listen & Learn” function for learning songs, and is General MIDI (GM), and XGlite compatible.

The Yamaha PSR-E213 – it’s an unbelievable bargain as a full-size MIDI controller.

*  Portable Grand:The industry’s best piano
* Interactive Yamaha Education Suite features “Listen & Learn”
* 375 voices also include “Cool” sounds and grooves
* General MIDI plus Yamaha XGlite compatible

The Casio LK 110 Key Light Keyboard lets you know the keys you should play by lighting the way , making this type of keyboard instrument perfect for beginners. Make music practice more enjoyable and productive! truley an excellent keyboard for learning via its 100 songbank tunes

Features:

• 61 Full-Size Keys
• 100 Tones
• 50 Rhythms
• Auto Accompaniments
• 100 Songbank Tunes
• 3 Step Lesson Function
• Voice Fingering Guide
• Microphone Jack
• Timing Guide on Display
• Microphone Jack
• LCD Musical Information System
• 12 Note Polyphony
• MIDI (GM Simulation, 5 Channel)
• 2 Loudspeakers
• Includes Songbook
• Weight: 4.6 kg
• Size (WxDxH): 944 x 373 x 130mm
• Batteries: AA-size x 6
• Optional AC adaptor: AD-5EL

Latest generation PSR portable keyboard with great educational features and USB.

The Yamaha PSRE413 is a 61-key portable keyboard with innovative features for learning to play, like the Yamaha Portable Grand and Yamaha Education Suite. A step up from the Yamaha PSR-E403, it too has fun, creative features including sound control knobs for real time control over effects, filters, EQ, tempo and 100 different Arpeggiator patterns. The PSR-E413 includes USB connectivity, allowing for the transfer of songs, styles and MIDI data between the instrument and a computer.

This can be used for educational purposes or for musicians to play along with pieces that are downloaded into the unit. For aspiring music artists, recording original pieces is quick and simple with the six-track/five-song capacity onboard sequencer. And, with Yamaha’s Performance Assistant technology, anyone can play a song – even novices. When the PSR-E413 keys are struck in time with the music, the notes are corrected to match chords of the song being played. No matter what keys are hit on the keyboard, the correct notes will play.

Features:

• Latest generation PSR portable keyboard with great educational features and USB
• 61-key unit with Touch Response
• 504 great sounds
• Extremely portable, and lightweight for easy transport
• Keyboard education tools
• The Yamaha Portable Grand – specially selected Yamaha grand piano sample, recorded in stereo for exceptional realism

The Yamaha DGX-630 is a 88-key weighted graded hammer action portable keyboard. Improvements on the earlier DGX-530 include 64-note polyphony, a beautiful matching bench and an Optional three-pedal unit, along with additional DSP Digital Signal Processing effects that enable realistic sounding Distortion Guitar and Rotary Organ.

The Yamaha DGX-630 keyboard also offers USB MIDI and USB to Device for removable storage, along with a high Resolution Live! Grand Stereo sample, song recorder, score and lyric display. The Yamaha DGX-630 keyboard offers an affordable, feature-packed portable keyboard with authentic grand piano-like touch: heavy in the low end, feathery light in the highs, and amazingly responsive throughout.

Features:

• 160 preset accompaniment styles
• 30 preset songs built-in (+ 70 on supplied CD-ROM)
• 64-note polyphony
• 6-track sequencer (upto 5 user songs)
• 6w stereo speakers
• 88 Graded Hammer Standard (GHS) keys

The Casio SA-75 Mini Keyboard with high-quality tones plus functions that make music more fun. With the hands free microphone and portable design you can make music just about anywhere. 37 Minikeys, 100 Tones, 30 Patterns, 10 Songs, Includes a song book and hands-free microphone

Features:

• Keys 37 (min)
• Polyphony (maximum) 4
• Tones 100
• Rhythms/Patterns 30
• Tunes 10
• Lesson Function Yes

Nord announce next-generation Electro 3

Nord and UK distributor Sound Technology are very pleased to announce the next generation Electro – the Nord Electro 3. With the introduction of the Nord Electro 3, the legacy of the original Electro and the knowhow that have shaped some of the other Nord models have been combined.

The Electro 3 features a new organ section, a new piano section, new effects and also a new exciting feature that allows the Electro 3 to use any samples from the Nord Wave library.

Electro 3 replaces the Electro 2, albeit at a slightly higher price point. Electro 3 is expected to ship in limited quantities in early December 2008.

New and improved features:

• Load any sample from the Nord Sample library
  Users can add virtually any sound they want to the Nord Electro 3. Sounds can be loaded from the Mellotron Library or any other instrument or sound from the extensive Nord Sample Library, the same format as the Nord Wave uses. Users are even able to create their own Sample Instruments using the Nord Wave Manager and then use these in the Nord Electro 3.
  
• Exquisite new pianos
  The Electro 3 uses the same sample format as the acknowledged Nord Stage, to take full advantage of the Nord Piano Library’s multitude of velocity layers, pedal-down samples and extremely high quality samples with unprecedented expressiveness. Any current or future piano that is available for the Stage family will also automatically be available to the Nord Electro 3.
  
• Increased memory capacity – 8 times the size of the original Electro
  The Nord Electro 3 has a memory for pianos and samples of 256 MB and can it can store 126 programs.
  
• Second generation organ emulation
  The organ section is a direct descendent of the award winning Nord C1 Combo Organ with its fabulous vintage sounds from the B3, Farfisa and Vox-type models. Each and every individual sound creating component and even the artifacts of the original instruments have been faithfully reproduced in the Electro 3.
  
• Brand new effect section
  The Nord Electro 3 is equipped with a great selection of high quality effects including a lush sounding reverb with five different algorithms. There is also a selection of tremolo, panning, wah-wah, phaser, flanger and chorus effects.
  
• New amps, compressor and EQ
  Users can sculpt their final sound by choosing from a selection of three amplifier simulations that can add any amount of grit and distortion from gentle to manic levels. A three-band EQ with sweepable mid-range and a compressor can be added to the final stage of the audio path.
  
• Enhanced Rotary speaker emulator
  The rotary speaker emulator also originates from the Nord C1 Combo Organ, with its acclaimed sound quality. This rotary speaker emulator incorporates the acoustic variations that occur when a physical speaker spreads the sound in a room, providing the full experience of when the air is moved around.

  The Electro 3’s rotary also features a brand new function in the addition of the Rotary Stop Mode. This allows users to switch between fast and stopped rotation and back again by using either the controls on the panel or with a foot pedal connected to the Rotor Pedal input. This is a crucial functionality that mimics the behavior of early one-speed original rotary speaker units.
  

• Play along to music with the Monitor Input jack
  Just plug in your mp3 or CD player to the Electro 3 to be able to play along, rehearse or jam with previously recorded music without the need of an external mixer or sound system. The signal that is present at this input will be monitored through the Electro 3’s headphone output.
  
• Free Electro Manager application to manage the memory areas
  The content of the pianos, the samples and the program memories in the Nord Electro 3 will be managed by the Nord Electro Manager. This application will be available for free to Electro owners, and compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista and Mac OSX.
  
• Increased portability
  The Electro 3 is slimmer and lighter than the original Electro.

You can Pre-Order your new Nord today, at Dolphin Music: Nord Nord Electro 3 – 61 or Nord Nord Electro 3 – 73

Terry Lawless Merges Math and Music to Program for U2

See how keyboard tech and programmer extraordinaire Terry Lawless supports legendary rock band U2 using a variety of M-Audio gear.

Behind every supergroup are great techs and programmers like Terry Lawless, who supports U2 from the studio to the stage. Lawless laid his foundation in Iowa, studying performance, music education and mathematics in college while playing single and double reeds in both academic bands and combos.

He soon started pursuing piano as well, drawing on his mathematical background to master the synths and effects of the day. This firm grounding in electronic music technology gives him tremendous appreciation for today’s powerful virtual instruments.

What projects are you working on?

Right now I’m in the middle of working with U2 and company on the newest CD release. When I am off the road and not gigging locally, I can always be found in my production studio in Santa Maria. I write for two music production libraries, one in London and one in Philadelphia. Of course, I have also been adding session work in the studios around the Central Coast and, more recently, vintage keyboard sessions over the Internet.

How did you get started as a touring keyboard tech?

I got to Los Angeles with degrees in music and math in 1983, the year that the Yamaha DX7 hit. Programming with relationships of numbers made perfect sense to me and I started to get a lot of programming work. A good friend of mine, Todd Grace, was moving from a technical position with Barry Manilow to a playing position in the band and got me the job as the technician. I got my hands on every synthesizer I could and read every scrap of paper about programming. The rest is just application and honing. The jobs started to become very steady.

What M-Audio gear are you using on the road with U2?

I use M-Audio USB keyboards for extra keys. In the show, two of the U2 principals can be seen using an Oxygen8 on stage to play some parts with MIDI wireless to my rig. For special TV appearances and hotel room work, I use a laptop with the FireWire 410 interface. I also use the BX8 monitors when editing.

You also use the KikAxxe and TimewARP 2600 virtual instruments by Way Out Ware. What are your impressions?

Both of these emulations are as exact as I have ever heard. The oscillators on both have absolutely no aliasing and extra garbage when you play extremely low or extremely high. They are the best. The addition of the step sequencer into the KikAxxe was a stroke of genius. I mostly use it to add step filtering into a sound, but the arpeggiating and retriggering makes a great palette from which I “paint.”

How do the Way Out Ware software instruments compare to their vintage counterparts?

I own both an ARP 2600 and an ARP Axxe. I can assure you that these emulations are absolutely perfect! Every knob, every function seems to react exactly the same as the original instruments (except, of course, for the additional features). I am back in the ‘70s all over again!

For More info visit:

M-Audio Oxygen 8 v2

M-Audio KikAxxe

Great Offer on Yamaha P-85 Contemporary Digital Piano

Dolphin Music is offering a pretty good deal on the new Yamaha P85! Play with authentic sound and remarkable expressiveness on a compact, sleek piano you can afford – under £500!

        

The Yamaha P85S Contemporary Digital Piano features 88 keys with improved graded hammer action, and improved multistrike piano sample recordings.

The P85S gives you realistic, acoustic-like touch response with Advanced Wave Memory (AWM) stereo-sampled piano voices in a compact digital piano with the high quality you expect from Yamaha. 64-note polyphony, a built-in song recorder and metronome, and stereo speaker system make the P85S is the perfect portable piano.

The headphone jack lets you practice in peace while the sleek, contemporary design fits in any room d‚cor.P85S  feature meticulous digital sampling of a full concert grand piano—that change in tone and volume depending on how you play—thanks to Yamaha’s sophisticated AWM stereo sampling.Realistic, acoustic-like touch response
Enjoy authentic, naturally expressive key touch—modeled after an actual acoustic piano, from the low notes to the high—with the Graded Hammer Standard (GHS) keyboard.Ultra-compact, stylish design
The attractive, slim, lightweight design of the instrument—less than 25 lbs.—suits virtually any room decor, while the built-in speaker system fills your room with luscious sound.Extensive voice selection and dual-voice function

The versatile P85S also gives you a variety of other high-quality instrument voices, including electric pianos, organs, strings, and harpsichord—plus a Dual Voice feature for playing two voices at once.

Exceptionally high-quality sound
The gorgeous piano sounds of the

Record your performance
You can capture your own playing with the song recording feature, then play it back for studying or accompaniment. There’s even a built-in metronome for practicing and recording in perfect time.

Expressive half-pedal control
Features a half-pedal effect that gives you greater acoustic-like expressive control over the sound (with optional FC3 Foot Controller or LP-5 Pedal Unit).

View Yamaha P-85 (Silver) page

Yamaha’s Tyros 3: Get Close & Personal!

See The Tyros 3 in action, live! Dolphin Music will be one of the first stores in the UK to recive the Tyros 3, and Dolphin will be organising two instore events for those simply too anxious to know more about the eagerly awaited YamahaTyros 3.

Yamaha's new Tyros 3

 

The ‘Up Close And Personal’ days will take place on Wednesday 22nd October (Gateshead shop) and Friday 24th October (Huddersfield shop).

At those events, customers will be able to see a demo and have ago on the Tyros 3 – courtesy of Yamaha’s top demonstrator Richard Bowyer, who’ll be giving 1-2-1 lessons on the day. Customers are advised to phone the Dolphin shops to book a slot and avoid disappointment.

Tyros 3 UCAP Event @ Dolphin Gateshead 22/10/2008 16 Garden Walk Yellow Quadrant Metro Centre NE11 9XY Tel: 0191 493 2244 Tyros 3 UCAP Event @ Dolphin Huddersfield 24/10/2008 11-15 Market Street Huddersfield West Yorkshire HD1 2EH Tel: 01484 427455

Hurry up!

We were informed that the Huddersfield shop has just 2 places (12pm & 2pm) available to fill for a private viewing hosted by ace Yamaha demonstrator, Richard Bower. Call David now on 01484 427455 for more information.

View Yamaha Tyros 3 @ Dolphin